House of Strauss

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Hos: Jonathan Rosen Jul 19, 2023

Show notes

Jonathan Rosen wrote a book that can’t really be described in a sentence and I’m not sure it really maps onto anything else I’ve read. It’s a memoir and a horror story and really, you just have to read it.

The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions is about Rosen’s childhood best friend, Michael Laudor and what became of this once boy genius. The short story: Laudor goes from brilliant Yale undergrad, to well compensated yuppie, to an institutionalized schizophrenic adult, to celebrated and accommodated Yale Law student, to being the subject of a Ron Howard movie wherein he’s played by Brad Pitt, to, finally, the killer of his pregnant fiancé.

Just on the basis of that story alone, the book could be completely absorbing. But Rosen does something more with it all and we discuss so much of that in this podcast: His is a work that serves as a mirror for an era: Its ambitions, assumptions and tragic mistakes, all seen through the prism of one man’s journey.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Wosny Lambre Jul 18, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

I feel like Big Wos and I podded at the perfect time, given that Monday delivered a lot of sports media drama. Beyond all that, we went long on symbolism-as-politics, the Dame Lillard trade standoff, and, of course, The Bear.

* This pod includes but is not limited to discussion of the following topics:

* Dan LeBatard vs. Adrian Wojnarowski

* Dan LeBatard vs. Stephen A. Smith

* Is Woj wrong factually or just tonally?

* We revisit Jemele Hill’s comments on what got her fired from ESPN

* Political symbolism: What does it accomplish?

* Wos has takes on the Heat vs. Blazers standoff over Damian Lillard

* Is The Bear truly a great TV show? Is a backlash brewing?

* Wos has become a great NBA analyst

HoS: Kat Rosenfield Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

And now for something completely different…

Kat Rosenfield is an author and writer who often boldly covers matters of cultural controversy. So what does this podcast have to do with sports? Not much, beyond the following: So many people I ran into at NBA Summer League couldn’t shut up about Jonah Hill. Given that Kat has covered the Hill situation on her podcast, I wanted her additional takes on the topic. First question: Why the hell is this private matter made public such a story?

Subjects on this podcast include but aren’t limited to…

* Kat thought I might tie this to sports somehow

* How this private drama got such public traction

* Airing dirty laundry for the “win”

* “Professional Surfer”?

* Why are pro-therapy people anti “therapy talk”?

* Rationalizing bullying as righteous

* Can famous people really ever find love, post fame?

* Looks as often unacknowledged social advantage (or disadvantage)

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Matthew Belloni Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Puck News co-founder and Ringer podcast host Matthew Belloni presents the most comprehensive view of whatever’s happening in showbusinss, both big and small picture. Naturally, I wanted his takes on the role of modern sports docs (Such as Quarterback on Netflix), ESPN, and the death of tentpole comedies post 2014. We got all that, plus a lot more, within a highly efficient podcast. Topics include but aren’t limited to:

* Should I paywall this?

* Is the much hyped Quarterback on Netflix actually good? Maybe not?

* Matt’s take on the new Steph Curry doc and what isn’t in it.

* Why is ESPN unable to afford sports docs that Netflix gobbles up?

* What’s ESPN’s future in this dark hour?

* How’s the NBA getting involved in streaming?

* Is the NFL on Amazon a success?

* The decline of comedy movies: How much does social media sensitivity play a role?

HoS: Colin Cowherd Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

When Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports and the Volume podcasting network stopped by HoS, I wanted to pick his brain on industry subjects. As expected, he was a stupendously entertaining font of behind scenes takes.

As a TV sports talk king and a podcasting network founder, he sees the modern content economy from different perspectives all at once. So we get into that, plus a lot more, as we freestyle 90 minutes of loose talk. Enjoy.

This podcast includes but is not limited to discussion of the following topics…

* Choosing storytelling over big names in sports talk

* On talking politics in sports media and whether ESPN had too much of it

* How Colin manages his podcast personalities

* Why did Colin bet big on Nick Wright early on?

* How does Colin balance Draymond Green being on his network with Draymond being an occasional sports talk subject?

* Could Colin ever employ Aaron Rodgers as a podcaster given how frequently he’s critiqued the finicky quarterback?

* Why can’t baseball be part of the sports conversation?

* Are tight ends massively underpaid?

* Tony Romo’s broadcast struggles

* Does Colin really screen potential hires to make sure they aren’t golf nuts?

HoS: Matt Welch Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Matt Welch from the great Fifth Column podcast stops by to discuss his role in that 3 man monster, his history in the business, and issues of the day. Podcast topics include, but are not limited to:

* Is Matt the Ernie Johnson of Fifth Column or its Paul McCartney?

* Are you now, or have you ever been a libertarian???

* Is Fifth Column libertarian? Or something else?

* What was Matt doing in Hungry during the 1990s?

* The post Berlin Wall era vs. the post 9/11 era

* We talk about my article on the 9/11 era in sports vs. today’s team-endorsed messaging

* Leagues and teams are externalizing their internal issues with workforce homophobia

* Welch is, sadly, an Angels fan. How does he feel about these calls to trade Ohtani?

* Is Ohtani really like if Patrick Mahomes was also Nick Bosa? Or is it different?

* The A’s are sad (Was Moneyball as a business strategy missing the forest for the trees?)

HoS: Emergency ESPN Layoffs Pod with Ryan Glasspiegel Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

A chaotic day in sports media as ESPN timed up their news of major layoffs exactly with the starting gun for NBA free agency. Given all that happened and his New York Post reporting on the matter, we needed Ryan to swing by on short notice and deliver his insights. From there, we bounced around to many a sports media issues. This podcast includes discussion of, but is not limited to the following topics….

* Was this round of ESPN layoffs a sea change in sports media?

* My article on Jeff Van Gundy getting axed.

* Did NBA commissioner Adam Silver have a hand in Van Gundy’s ouster?

* Why did Mark Jackson survive?

* Why did so many TV people get axed, including Steve Young?

* The financial factors pressuring ESPN and Disney

* Ryan’s out on NBA free agency

* “Windy” Season

* Bill Simmons vs. Kyrie Irving

* Is golf hot right now?

HoS: Ben Smith Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

A benefit of my job is that I can read a book, enjoy it, and then interview the person who wrote it. This is exactly what happened after I binged Ben Smith’s Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. Ben, now a founder of Semafor, formerly of the New York Times, and before that, EIC of Buzzfeed News, has written a contemporary history of the early news era in social media. There’s a lot about 2006-2016 that already seems foreign in retrospect. Ben’s book takes you back there, from the perspective of some major figures who tried to harness viral content to their own ends. Our conversation touches on, but is not limited to the following topics:

* How did the New York Times win the big war over the future of media?

* Jonah Peretti vs. Nick Denton (Buzzfeed vs. Gawker)

* Was Nick Denton a genius?

* Why Ben thinks that the Facebook app and Twitter app are dying

* Is the NBA media more corrupt than other kinds of media?

* Why are individuals gaining and institutions are losing?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Saam Esfandiari + Andy Liu Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

After years of relative stasis, the Warriors have just seen their longtime General Manager quit, and, on Thursday, completed a trade of that saw the ouster of Jordan Poole and the introduction of Chris Paul. We talk about this, talk draft and eventually start drifting away from the pure basketball discussion. This pod includes discussion of, but is not limited to:

* How do you feel about dumping Jordan Poole for Chris Paul?

* How does Chris Paul feel about it?

* Are we going to rip Bob Myers on the way out, Boston media style?

* The Warriors never really develop their draft picks. Their fault?

* Are draft picks a shakier (less successful) proposition in this era?

* What’s the take on Zion Williamson’s porn-tinged fall from grace?

* Is Zion getting too much grief for the porn lady’s accusations?

* Was Ja Morant’s suspension too light?

* Who’d you rather trade for: Zion Williamson or Ja Morant?

* All good draft analysts should be weirdos

* We’re all obsessed with Dean on the Draft, who once wrote a paper on dating market inefficiencies

HoS: Katie Herzog Returns Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

We re-welcome Katie Herzog of Blocked and Reported, the hilarious podcast that explains Internet meltdowns while weaving them into a spellbinding narrative. I asked Katie on because a) She’s a great guest, but also b) BAR-worthy topics of controversy are knocking into the sports world.

Specifically, baseball’s awkward embrace of Pride celebrations and the broader societal conversation about trans in sports are both current hot topics. So we get into those and a lot more.

This podcast discussion includes but is not limited to…

* We talk about my dumb controversy vs. the Cavinders

* The trans sports issue is popping up a lot. Is it a Waterloo for one political side?

* Are there influential people who really don’t know that males have a sports advantage?

* Pride Nights in baseball and player resistance

* “Acceptance isn’t enough”

* The Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

* Who’s offended by nipples at the White House?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

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